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KU Medical Center, KU Hospital affiliation agreement finalized

A new affiliation agreement between the KU Medical Center, KU Hospital and Kansas University Physicians Inc. will result in up to 100 new medical residents and construction of a much-needed 207,000-square-foot medical office building on the Kansas City, Kan., campus in the next few years.

"The agreement clearly reflects what we have always known Ð the success of the KU Hospital is vital to the success of the KU Medical Center and vice versa,"said Barbara Atkinson, executive vice chancellor of the medical center and executive dean of the KU School of Medicine. "It also reflects that at the heart of both institutions is a passionately committed group of physicians and scientists whose talent fuels our excellence Ð which ultimately benefits patients, students and all Kansans."

Under the agreement -- online at KUMC, KUH and KUPI Affiliation Agreement -- KU Hospital will increase its annual support of the education and research enterprise at the medical center from $30 million to $46 million in the first yearand will continue to be the primary academic clinical, teaching and research hospital for the medical center.The agreement also creates enhanced opportunities for joint planning focused on strategic business, programs and clinical activities. This planning will allow for campuswide coordination of resource allocation and prioritization of key initiatives, including close collaboration in pursuing National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center designation for the KU Cancer Center.

In addition, the pact provides for a new medical office building with groundbreaking planned for January 2009. The building promises to be a valuable resource in providing excellent patient care and in recruiting and retaining the best physicians at KU, Atkinson said.

"While the agreement provides a framework for the future, the full promise of the agreement will only be achieved if we are all willing to work together in a spirit of true collaboration," said Atkinson. "I have no doubt that will be the case."

RESEARCH MATTERS

Cynthia Teel, associate professor at the KU School of Nursing, is conducting a survey to find the best ways for caregivers of stroke sufferers to take care of their own health. She is evaluating a program called "Self-Care Talk" - where family caregivers spend 30 minutes per week discussing issues such as diet and exercise with a nurse. Teel says participants in the program have had positive results, many realizing that taking care of themselves is vital to being able to provide good care. For more, or to listen to the original broadcast, visit www.researchmatters.ku.edu.